Chapter 774: Seventh Brother
Translator: Pika
Zu An worried that this might lead to too much trouble, so he had initially planned to give a random name and leave. However, Mi Li had told him that he had to increase his prestige. Furthermore, he had finally confirmed his own dao a few days ago, that he was going to become the world’s most powerful man. Hiding and evading really didn’t match his style. As such, he smiled and said, “Your respected self speaks too seriously. This humble one is Zu An.”
Yin Shi was a direct disciple of the libationer. His status in the Royal Academy was extraordinary. If this had been Zu An’s previous world, then he would at the very least be a professor of Tsinghua or Peking University, and moreover, one of those who taught doctoral students. Having connections with such a person would always be a good thing.
“Zu An, why does this name sound so familiar?” Yin Shi muttered. Then, his eyes suddenly lit up. “Might you be the one who offered up the method of immortality to his majesty, and then ended up ruining the schemes of various powers? The outstanding hero Zu An who then rose up in the eastern palace?”
Zu An was stunned. He suddenly felt that he kind of liked this place. The people here were so nice, and they spoke so well. Their statuses as logicians really were well deserved. If you praise me like this, even despite how shameless I am, I’ll still blush, you know?
The surrounding students all suddenly realized who he was when they heard those words.
“So it was Chu First Miss’ husband!”
“I guess he looks pretty good. No wonder Chu First Miss ended up liking him.”
“You think? I don’t think he looks like anyone special.”
“I didn’t expect the academy’s publicly acknowledged beauty teacher would like him too! Why don’t I have such luck…”
Zu An replied, “Brother Yin is too polite. The things I’ve done aren’t worth mentioning.”
“Your looks are handsome, and you’re so humble. No wonder eighth sister favors you.” Yin Shi cupped his hands. “I’m in a hurry to think over the enlightenment sir has brought me, so I won’t bother you anymore. I must consult you for more wisdom at a future date.” After he finished speaking, he turned into a ball and rolled off into the horizon along a shaded path.
The surrounding students quickly followed behind him. “Teacher, teacher! Wait for us!”
Jiang Luofu used this chance to leave with Zu An. When they left the group of students, she suddenly became a bit hesitant.
Zu An chuckled and asked, “Gorgeous principal, what are you thinking about? This isn’t like you.”
Jiang Luofu then said, “Don’t take those students’ words to heart. I have no feelings for you; we’re just friends.”
Zu An looked disappointed. “Sigh, it really hurts if you put it like that. I thought you at least had a bit of a positive impression of me.”
Jiang Luofu explained, “I do have a good impression of you, but it’s not the type that exists between men and women…”
“I know.” Zu An cut her off. “We have a pure male and female relationship.”
Jiang Luofu blinked. She just felt as if something was wrong with what Zu An had just said, yet she couldn’t really put her finger on it.However, she was more curious about another matter right now. “That quantum, bay something, what was all of that about? Why were you able to make Yin Shi like that?”
“I have no idea either; it was just a bunch of nonsense. Who could have expected that the guy would actually believe me?” Zu An thought to himself that he had learned the Bayes formula before, but he had pretty much forgotten all of it.
As for the quantum stuff, it was just some random articles he had read online as a keyboard warrior, so he would have more ammunition to use on his friends. If he really understood quantum mechanics, why the hell would he just be a stupid keyboard warrior?
Jiang Luofu was speechless. She had thought of countless possibilities, but she had never thought that this would be the answer. In the end, she could only say helplessly, “That damn fatty might just end it all if he finds out he was just conned by you.”
Zu An asked shyly, “Big sis, you won’t sell me out, right?”
The other party was already no longer a principal. Calling her ‘gorgeous principal’ didn’t seem suitable anymore, so he could only change it to something else.
Jiang Luofu liked the sound of being called ‘big sister’. She replied, “Don't worry, I get a huge headache whenever I meet that guy. I’m already busy enough trying to avoid him; why would I tell him that?”
Zu An said with a chuckle, “That’s good, then.”
The two of them continued to walk together. But suddenly, Zu An voiced his surprise. He almost thought he had been sent into another illusion by Jia Sili.
The peaceful soft meadows and towering trees of the campus environment were nowhere to be seen; instead, they were suddenly replaced with lush green farms. There were wheat sprouts and rice paddy shoots, as well as all kinds of fruits and vegetables. There were many farmers brandishing hoes and doing manual labor. It was as if they had arrived on a huge ranch.
“What’s all of this?” Zu An gave Jiang Luofu a look of disbelief.
Jiang Luofu smiled. Then, she walked straight to the biggest paddy field and greeted a dark skinned elder dressed in an ash gray gown. “Seventh senior!”
“Seventh senior?” Zu An was confused. This was someone who couldn’t look more ordinary. He looked like an experienced farmer no matter how you looked at him! Yet he was actually Jiang Luofu’s senior, a core disciple of the libationer!
When he recalled that annoying Yin Shi from earlier, Zu An really began to wonder about the libationer’s tastes. What kind of disciples were these? It was Jiang Luofu who seemed the most normal out of them all.
“So it was eighth sister.” That old farmer tossed his hoe aside and wiped his sweat with the towel over his shoulder. He gave her a simple and honest smile.
“Is eighth brother researching a new crop?” Jiang Luofu looked at the lush green crops around her with curiosity. “Are those chives?”
Zu An’s eyes widened. He began to question life at that moment. You call those chives?
The farmer said quietly, “Those are wheat sprouts…”
“Ah?” Jiang Luofu blushed. She really wanted to hide out of embarrassment just then. She was the distinguished daughter of a great clan after all, so her usual studies were far from this field. That was why it was hard for her to distinguish between different crops.
The old farmer smiled. “Eighth sister, pay it no mind. It’s understandable if you don’t recognize these plants.”
Jiang Luofu’s redness finally withdrew a bit. She did her best to calmly ask, “What is seventh brother researching?”
Zu An was surprised. She clearly didn’t know much about these things, yet she was still chatting with him so enthusiastically. It was completely different from her attitude with Yin Shi.
The old farmer pointed at the nearby green seedlings and said, “Wheat usually takes a lot out of fertile land. After planting it, the land needs to rest for one to two years before wheat can be grown again. However, the efficiency of that is too low. Furthermore, if we always irrigate the earth, it will easily cause the soil to erode. That’s why I’ve been trying to find a replaceable solution. I discovered that rice paddies don’t need rest and plowing, and can even yield two to three harvest each year in suitable locations.”
Jiang Luofu said with a smile, “That’s great news. Why does seventh brother have a worried frown then?”
The old farmer sighed. “I wish it were as easy as having the best of both worlds. Soon afterward, I discovered the disadvantage to using rice paddies. The Great Zhou Dynasty has prospered over these past few years, and so the population has increased. Rice paddies have already reached their limit. If we do not find a new solution, these paddies won’t be able to keep up with the population growth rate in fewer than twenty years. There will definitely be a great famine then.”
Zu An had originally just been looking around randomly. When he heard those words, he couldn’t help but feel admiration for this man. In that instant, he already understood why Jiang Luofu treated this old farmer completely differently from Yin Shi.
Yin Shi’s light intellectual conversation might be popular among nobles, but it was completely useless for commoners. On the contrary, this old farmer’s thoughts were for the entire nation’s people. Regardless of which world it was, those who devoted themselves to the common people deserved respect.
The old farmer said, “There’s also another issue with the rice fields, which is that it’s too easy for the crops to develop illnesses. A single mistake and the crop will fail, and then not a single grain can be harvested from that land. In that case, the common people could work for an entire year without anything to show for it.”
Jiang Luofu frowned. She wanted to say words of consolation, but this really wasn’t her field of expertise. She didn’t know what to say.
A voice suddenly chimed in. “Then why don’t you try a hybridized rice field?”